The present invention is directed to a device for improving accuracy of a rifle. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a harmonic stabilizer system for reducing vibration of a rifle barrel, thereby, reducing scatter, and to a rifle equipped with such a system.
Whether target shooting or hunting, a rifleman wants consistent, accurate shot placement; i.e., she/he wants to hit that at which she/he is shooting. A variety of factors can influence accuracy including windage, fatigue, ability, and harmonic vibration. The rifleman has no control over a number of these factors. It is the purpose of this invention to remove harmonic vibration from the group of factors which are not controllable. A number of attempts have been made to cope with this problem including hanging weights on the end of the barrel and employing an energy storage device. These attempts have met with only limited success and, in that they are typically bulky, generally, negatively contribute to the fatigue factor.
It has been determined that by installing a spring means between the barrel and the stock, a particular rifle using a particular bullet can be tuned to its “sweet spot” significantly reducing shot scatter problems caused by harmonic vibration. The present invention comprises a harmonic stabilizer system for a rifle barrel including spring means having a first end attached to a section of a stock ahead of a recoil lug; adjustment means engaging said spring means to adjust a level of stabilization force applied by a second end of said spring means against the rifle barrel; whereby said stabilizer system can be tuned for a particular rifle and bullet combination to greatly reduce shot scatter introduced by vibration of the rifle barrel during firing.
In one embodiment, a coil spring is used. In the preferred embodiment, a contoured leaf spring is employed and an adjustable screw mounted in the stock is used to adjustably increase the  level of stabilization force applied against the barrel. While the leaf spring may be made of a number of materials (including plastic), it is preferably made of spring steel having a thickness of between 0.018 and 0.024 inches. Spacers can be mounted in the stock to provide thread engagement for both the attachment and adjustment screws. The spring is preferably contoured into a curved shape which has a reverse camber adjacent its free end to enhance the surface area engagement with the barrel. The engagement end can be fitted with a pad to interface between the spring and the barrel, the pad being made of a material selected from the group consisting of NAVCOM, another elastomer, and shrink tubing. While it is possible that the spring may be positioned anywhere between the recoil lug and the forward end of the stock, it is believed that the optimum location is toward the trailing end of the barrel where there will be less influence from thermal expansion.
Various other features, advantages and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after a reading of the following specification. 